


you've got pressure dripping off your shoulders

by waterleveldropping



Series: jonelias week 2020 [1]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, Mind Manipulation, Season 1, Trans Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:22:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterleveldropping/pseuds/waterleveldropping
Summary: Many words have been used to describe him over the centuries, but ‘hedonistic’ is probably one of the bigger ones.---The Head Archivist has his first performance review after being promoted.
Relationships: Elias Bouchard/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: jonelias week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860007
Comments: 13
Kudos: 100
Collections: Jonelias Week 2020





	you've got pressure dripping off your shoulders

**Author's Note:**

> for the prompt "season one/pre-canon"

It’s all very complicated, Elias thinks one morning over his second cup of coffee. Jon’s feelings on him are all _very_ complicated. 

If Elias raised the question, Jon would deny it. 

Well, pause. Rewind. 

Jon would flush to the tips of his ears, stutter and avoid Elias’s gaze like his life depended on it, maybe a bit of nervous laughter bubbling up from the pit in his stomach, he would rub his palms on his trousers hoping Elias wouldn’t notice how sweaty they were...

...and then he would deny it. Vehemently. 

That’s a bit unfair, however. In the fact that Elias would never outright ask Jon about his feelings towards him. It’s not what he excels in. He’d pull it out of him, make him realize it all at once after it’s much too late. Make sure Jon isn’t allowed any control in the currently hypothetical situation. 

Elias hopes that day will come someday, but it’s certainly not today. They have so far to go, after all. They’re only just beginning to get to know one another. And Elias will not make the same mistake he made with Gertrude Robinson twice.

Today, the noises of the early-morning London streets serve as a backdrop to his pondering. It’s barely even past ten in the morning, and yet Elias has been hearing Jon’s frantic thoughts from the moment he walked in not twenty minutes ago. 

It’s the 4th of November, 2016. Which means it has been a full year since Jon’s last performance review. That means he is due for a new one, as these things go. It is also his first one with Elias, after being transferred down from research only about a month ago.

And his dear Archivist is so very nervous about it, the pure stress and nerves radiating off of him make Elias’s heart swell with adoration. Jon’s already yelled at Martin twice in the half hour he’s been in (par for the course), and ignored Sasha’s question about when he wants the notes for the case she was working on (a welcome surprise). 

The wristwatch that Elias pulls back his coat sleeve to check tells him there’s only half an hour left until Jon knocks on his door in that feigned sure way of his, when Elias will smile politely and motion him into the chair across from his desk. 

Elias shouldn’t. He knows he shouldn’t, but, the thing is, he probably will. 

Just a bit. Just enough to see Jon scramble to hold his composure together, his stubborn, serious act coming apart at the seams for reasons he can’t describe. He’s prepared as much as he can for this meeting, Elias Knows he has. It’ll make it all the more satisfying to watch as it all goes to waste in front of his eyes.

* * *

“Morning, Elias.” says Jon at his door not twenty minutes later. 

“Jon,” Elias says, feigns pleasant surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes.” 

The shorter man deflates just a bit. “I wanted to be prompt. I can, uhm, wait in the hall, if you’re not ready.” he replies. 

“Not at all. Come in, Jon.” Elias replies with a smile, and Jon enters with a nod. Elias motions for him to have a seat and Jon does, sits uncomfortably in the old leather chair. It’s almost too big for him but that’s alright, Jon feeling small is not exactly contrary to Elias’s goals. 

Elias takes his seat across from Jon, behind the old mahogany desk that has been down here since anyone can remember. Elias looks at home behind it. The neat stack of papers on his desk are progress reports from Jon’s first few weeks down in the Archives. Elias shifts through them for a moment. 

“While I’m not usually one to dismiss formalities, this does seem a bit excessive.” he remarks, tabbing through punch card data and other generally innocuous information that he already knows full well. “What say we have a more casual conversation about your work. Would that be alright with you?” he asks, before setting the papers aside and turning his attention to Jon. 

“If... you think that’d be best,” Jon answers slowly. Elias smiles in response. 

“Wonderful. Tea, Coffee?” he asks. Jon shakes his head in response, a polite ‘no thank you’, but Elias is already pouring the hot water from the water cooler. “Come now,” he says. “I have some lovely rooibos here. Indulge me?” he slips just a sliver of Compulsion into the last bit, enough for Jon to accept despite his reservations. 

When they’re both situated again, Elias leans back in his chair. Casually asks how Jon’s finding his work, if he’s getting on well with his assistants, and offhandedly apologizes for the state of the place. 

“I’m working on getting it in order.” Jon clears his throat, and sounds more confident than he’s has all day. “It’s a bit of work, obviously, but nothing I’m not up to.” 

Elias grins. “That’s good. I’m sure you’re doing a wonderful job.” 

And there it is. Jon’s eyes fall to the floor for just a second, just one tiny action and Elias knows he’s got him hooked on that small bit of praise. “Thank you. I will certainly do my best.” Jon replies, forcing himself to maintain eye contact again. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard Gertrude and I had our differences in opinion,” Elias says with a flourish of his wrist. “But, if I may say so Jon, I can already feel us getting on better.”

Jon does smile at that, a genuine, sincere smile, and Elias thinks it may be the first one he’s seen from him. At least in-person. 

“Well, I hope so.” Jon says, not entirely sure how to respond. Elias sees him digging his nails into his palms slightly, and decides to see how much further he can go with this. Many words have been used to describe him over the centuries, but ‘hedonistic’ is probably one of the bigger ones. 

Elias drolls on about filing systems while he starts to slip small suggestions into the corner of Jon’s mind. He starts small, with the feeling of a hand running through Jon’s dark curls. Elias makes sure it’s ambiguous enough for him to not have someone in mind. Just… the feeling of fingers in his hair and nails brushing his scalp. 

Emotion flashes over Jon’s face for a second, but to his credit, he pushes the thought from his mind without much trouble. That’s fine, this wouldn’t be fun if it was easy.

“I’d heard you’d had some trouble with recording statements on modern software.” Elias stirs his tea.

Jon nods. “Yes, the files kept becoming corrupted on computer, but thankfully tape recorder and cassette seems to work just fine, if a bit old-fashioned.” 

“Nothing wrong with old-fashioned,” Elias replies. “I quite prefer it, in fact. More familiar.” 

He continues to talk, but makes sure to poke at Jon’s thoughts again, nudging to move slowly and subtly from hands in Jon’s hair to Elias’s cold hand up Jon’s sweater, resting on his stomach. 

The latter causes Jon to sit up straighter, eyes going wide for just a split second, and his grasp on the mug of tea he’s holding tightens. 

“Jon?” Elias says, as Jon has stopped short in the middle of a sentence.

“Erm, yes,” Jon blinks. “Sorry, what were you saying?” he asks, forcing himself to look in Elias’s eyes; his first mistake. 

“I wanted to know exactly how you were establishing the statement numbers.” Elias replies casually, and he can’t help himself, he pushes in more. 

The feeling of being sat in Elias’s lap washes over Jon, followed by the phrase _‘very good, Archivist,’_ whispered against the hot skin of his neck where the top few buttons of his shirt are undone. 

Jon reacts much more visibly to this image, pitching forward slightly in his chair. Still-hot tea spills over the edge of the mug just slightly and onto his fingers. He’s fully flushed now, there’s no mistaking the sweat beading at his temples, where dark skin meets silver hair. 

“Alright, Jon?” Elias asks, just to indulge slightly. He peers over the edge of the mug of tea. 

“Y-yes. Yes, I’m sorry.” He straightens, shifts his thighs together ever so slightly and Elias knows how receptive Jon’s body is to the slightest hint of arousal. “You were saying?”

“Procedures for in-person interviews of cases,” Elias supplies. Jon nods and forces himself to focus on anything but the heat pooling in his stomach. It’s adorable.

Once more. Just one more and then he swears he’s had his fun for the day. 

Elias pushes a bit harder with this specific image. It’s simple but effective; the visual of Jon leaned over Elias’s same mahogany desk, shaking arms barely supporting himself as Elias moves to stand behind him. Elias sees Jon tense now, but it’s nothing compared to the expression on his face as Elias maneuvers the image of himself, forcing a hand under Jon’s sweater to grope at his soft chest through his undershirt, the other hand sliding down Jon’s trousers.

_“You’re so wet here, Archivist. Is this all because of me? How badly must you want me to make a mess of yourself like this, poor thing.”_

“ _Ah-”_ Jon keens, eyes shut. “ _Shit,”_

“Everything alright?” Elias asks, outside of Jon’s head. Jon takes a second to recuperate, but when he opens his eyes again, he goes redder than Elias thought possible. What a welcome surprise. They still have so much to learn about one another.

“S-sorry. I’m sorry,” Jon says, slightly out of breath. “Didn’t eat breakfast this morning, blood sugar dropped.” Oh, what a wonderfully cliché excuse.

“That’s quite alright,” Elias replies, standing up and reaching for Jon’s mug. He hands it over with shaking hands. It’s a miracle he didn’t spill more of it, to be honest. “I think it’s clear to both of us that you’re settling in just fine here.” Elias smiles as he walks over to rinse out the cups. “Do you have any further questions for me, Jon?”

He sees Jon shift to stand awkwardly. “None I can think of.” 

“Very well, I’d say that went well, wouldn't you?” he smiles as he’s toweling his hands. “Now it’s out of mind for another year. Though I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other quite frequently from now on.”

“Right.” Jon replies.

Elias gives Jon a firm pat on the shoulder, ushering him to the door. “Do try and get some food in you, please. We don’t need anyone passing out on the job, do we?”

Jon’s still not completely recovered, but he has it in him to at least chance a grin. “No, we don’t. Thank you, Elias.” he replies, and reaches out for a handshake, the darling. 

Elias takes it, shakes it firmly. “Thank you, Jon. I’m glad this has proven to be mutually beneficial thus far. I look forward to working together.” 

**Author's Note:**

> im so excited for this week! thanks to the organizer(s) for coming up with it, I had a ton of fun with all of these prompts and i cant wait to share it all. 
> 
> title is from 'just a little bit' by kids of 88. its an excellent jonelias song.
> 
> thank you for reading! comments are very much appreciated.


End file.
